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A kaleidoscopic survey of letterforms from nineteenth- and twentieth-century France, Lettres Décoratives includes more than 150 plates from grand lithographic albums printed at the height of the sign painter’s craft. Originally made to demonstrate styles and inspire artists to decorate cities with increasingly colourful, adventurous, and refined forms, these portfolios preserve a rich visual history of urban alphabets.
An introduction by practitioner Morgane Côme explores the story of French sign painting and its historic albums, while additional texts shed light on their contents. Featuring dozens of monumental alphabets, Lettres Décoratives is a portal to the past, as well as a valuable resource for contemporary sign painters and designers today.
Reviews
“Lettres Décoratives isn’t a book — it’s a time machine. The historic photos of 19th-century Paris in this new, lavishly illustrated publication transport readers to the heyday of French sign painting, while Morgane Côme narrates the history and growing fascination with the craft at the turn of the century. But the real treat is the dozens of dazzling, full-color alphabets reproduced from period lithographic albums. And like any good time machine, Lettres Décoratives doesn’t just take us back; it reminds us that skillfully crafted lettering is timeless..” — Ken Barber, House Industries
